Technet Conversations podcast with Darren Strange *updated links pointing to this week's show!*

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Welcome to TechNet Conversations! This show was published on the 14th September 2007.

We are joined by Darren Strange, Microsoft Ltd's product manager for Microsoft Office.

Click here for the WMA version of the show and here for the MP3 version.

Darren's Office Rocker blog makes an interesting read.

Here are some of the highlights of the show:

  • Darren explains the challenge of being the product manager for such a big suite of applications - in his case 17 desktop applications, 6 servers (8 inc. Groove)
  • Darren explains what it's like to move from being a consultant (for seven years) to joining the marketing team and discusses being a "Geek Marketeer".
  • He shares research looking at how the World of work is projected to change over the next five to ten years and introduces the term "millenials". Research shows that the culture of the workforce will change over the next 50 years. 80 million baby boomers (my parents generation) will retire by 2011, only 46 million genX (the post baby boom generation) are waiting in the wings to take over. By 2011 there will be a shortfall of 4.1 million workers in the USA alone. By 2031 there will be 35 million workers short in the USA. The dynamics of the company employee relationship will change. The post genX generation are referred to as "Millenials" or GenY. There will be 70million of them - hence the shortfall of genX is a blip so we should to the millenials for predicing longer term trends. Companies need to look at what drives them and what they expect from technology.
  • "Work being something you do not a place you go"
  • "a millenial is not interested in selling their soul to a company, they don't see a job as a career, they see a job as a job and as a way to get to their own personal goals"
  • "very relational. they like to work with their friends"